Red Devils’ coach Price speaks truth

January 17, 2013

One constant about veteran Ravenswood boys basketball coach Mick Price is that he isn't afraid to speak his mind.

Such was the case Tuesday evening at "The Pit" after the Red Devils trumped Williamstown.

Price touched on a lot of topics, including how both his Red Devils and the Yellowjackets of head coach Scott Sauro are going through rough patches.

"Williamstown has fallen on hard times too," said Price, whose team plays at Jackson County rival Ripley on Friday. "We're about mirror images of each other because we are so young and inexperienced.

"I know they are going to be a much better team when (Gage) Wix is healthy. They have the same problems we do. They lack confidence in their shooting and in their play. When you have that kind of inexperience, you are going to have to put up with some things where kids are going to make mistakes."

Of course, that's the main point. They are still kids playing a game they love and the coaches are doing their best to bring their talents out both individually and as a collective unit, no matter how hard that task is.

"I've noticed there isn't as much of a crowd that goes with these two teams as there used to be," Price added. "If there was ever a time that kids need the support of their community, it's now. No one needs the support of community when you are 18-3 or 17-0 and ranked first in the state - everybody comes to that.

"This is the time that these kids are out there still busting it and wearing their school name on their shirt. This is the time that you need your community to step up. Anybody can root for a team that's bandwagoning it. This is the time the community needs to support these kids."

Price readily admitted these are difficult days, indeed, and the coaches are dealing with it harder than the players. Of course, the Red Devils haven't had a losing season in nearly two decades.

"It is a tough time," he admitted. "We are going through a time where we don't have any leadership and Jake Martin is the only one who has had varsity experience.

"But, we are OK with it. They still need to support these kids and the other kids (Williamstown)."

Another thing Price feels firmly about is sometimes fan bases get spoiled and they have to realize all schools go through their proverbial cycles and it's evident both RHS and WHS are currently dealing with that.

"We just need to keep getting better because our goal is to win our sectional championship," Price noted. "We've got to keep working hard to do that because that's the only chance we've got if we are going to get a chance to go to the state tournament.

"I'm not going to get real upset about it (the season). As long as these kids want to work hard, we are going to coach them up every day and do what we are supposed to do, but it's just frustrating."